Large mammal diets and paleoecology across the Oldowan-Acheulean transition at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania from stable isotope and tooth wear analyses

Journal of Human Evolution
Kevin T UnoIgnacio de la Torre

Abstract

The well-dated Pleistocene sediments at Olduvai Gorge have yielded a rich record of hominin fossils, stone tools, and vertebrate faunal remains that, taken together, provide insight to hominin behavior and paleoecology. Since 2008, the Olduvai Geochronology and Archaeology Project (OGAP) has undertaken extensive excavations in Bed II that have yielded a large collection of early Pleistocene stone tools and fossils. The strata of Lower, Middle and Upper Bed II at Olduvai Gorge capture the critical transition from Oldowan to Acheulean technology and therefore provide an opportunity to explore the possible role of biotic and abiotic change during the transition. Here, we analyze newly discovered and existing fossil teeth from Bed II sites using stable isotope and tooth wear methods to investigate the diets of large mammals. We reconstruct the dietary ecology of Bed II mammals and evaluate whether vegetation or hydroclimate shifts are associated with the technological change. Combined isotope and tooth wear data suggest most mammals were C4 grazers or mixed feeders. Carbon isotope data from bulk enamel samples indicate that a large majority of Bed II large mammals analyzed had diets comprising mostly C4 vegetation (>75% of diet), w...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 12, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Tina LüdeckeAndreas Mulch
Jan 9, 2021·Nature Communications·Julio MercaderMichael Petraglia
Jan 15, 2018·Journal of Human Evolution·Lindsay J McHenry, Ignacio de la Torre

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